Essential Turkey Tour
One of our most popular tours that visits all major attractions in Turkey including exotic Istanbul, the Roman ruins of Ephesus, the fairy chimney landscape of Cappadocia and the white cotton castle of Pamukkale. Includes an overnight stay in Kusadasi.
Small Group Tours (Usually 8 to 12)
Boutique Hotels
Flights Only (No Long Bus Trips)
Highlights
One of our most popular tours that visits all major attractions in Turkey including exotic Istanbul, the Roman ruins of Ephesus, the fairy chimney landscape of Cappadocia and the white cotton castle of Pamukkale. Includes an overnight stay in Kusadasi.
Tour Itinerary
Pick up from the airport and transfer to your hotel by private car. Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Pick up from your hotel & visit Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace (Harem not included). Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Pick up from your hotel in Istanbul & morning flight to Pamukkale, then lunch. In the afternoon, tour the 'Cotton Castle.' Bring swimwear as you may have time to swim in the Antique Pool (extra fee applies.) Also visit the ancient ruins of the City of Hierapolis with its theatre and Necropolis. After the tour, transfer to your hotel in Kusadasi to visit Ephesus the next day. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Pick up from your hotel & visit the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Then visit Ephesus Ancient City, the best-preserved Greco-Roman city in the world. Here you will explore the Agora, Odeon, Celsius Library, Hadrian Temple, Roman Baths, Grand Theatre & Marble Street. After a lunch break, visit the House of Virgin Mary, where she is thought to have spent her final years. Overnight stay in Kusadasi.
Pick up from your hotel & transfer to the airport & flight to Cappadocia (maybe via Istanbul). Transfer to your hotel on arrival to Cappadocia. Overnight in a cave hotel in Cappadocia.
05:00 Hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia (Optional Extra - please contact us for price) Hotel pickup, then a quick snack and safety briefing. Watching the balloon inflate, then you're off! Soaring over fairy chimneys, and dipping low to skim cave dwellings. This may be your favourite part of your Turkey trip - it will certainly be unforgettable. Celebrate a soft landing with a quick drink, and return to your hotel for breakfast around 8.30am. Full Day Cappadocia Tour - (North) Pick up from your hotel & tour start from Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley), spectacular fairy chimneys and beautiful and scapes. After Devrent valley, we will visit Pasabag (known as Monk valley) where we will see double and triple headed rock formations. Lunch at Avanos, famous for pottery and Redriver (Kızılırmak). After lunch, you will visit Goreme open air museum which is in the heart of Cappadocia. Open air museum famous for wall painting, dates back to 10th century describing the life of Jesus Christ and monks. The last stop will be the Uchisar castle, natural and one of the biggest mass fairy chimney of the region. After the tour, transfer to the airport for your flight back to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.
Pick up from the hotel according to your flight schedule and transfer to the airport.
You can customize this trip with additional days! Slow the pace with rest days in locations of your choice, or add additional sightseeing days along the route.
Tour Map
Tour Details
Hotels
Departure Date
DAILY GUARANTEED DEPARTURES
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Start DateFinish DateDay / Days / Every Day
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Start Date: 01.01.2025Finish Date: 31.12.2025Day / Days / Every Day: Every Day
Price List
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StartFinishSingleDouble/Twin PPTriple PP
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Start: 01.01.2025Finish: 31.12.2025Single: 3,744 AUDDouble/Twin PP: 3,368 AUDTriple PP: 3,129 AUD
Book Now / Enquiry
If you are traveling with children, please send us an enquiry through the below form for costing and further information.
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Reviews
Hannah Taha
Australia
I chose TTC based on past reviews and I was not left disappointed. From my initial contact with Michael who organised the Essential Tour for us, adjusting it to suit our extended stay to Makbule from the reservations team who organised the transfers, tours etc. Both of them were very professional and the customer service excellent-emails responded to immediately at any time and any problems we had were resolved. The tour was well coordinated, all transfers and pick-ups on time. Felt very safe the whole time. Groups were a good size, max 8 and all the guides used were very knowledgeable and friendly. In particular Kenan in Istanbul and Faisullah who took us on the Ephesus tour was very funny and shared many stories with us. Accomodation was very good overall. Close to all the major attractions. MDC cave hotel was fantastic. Highlights were the Old city walking tour, Pamukkale and Ephesus Tours and Cappadocia was just beautiful. We had an excellent time. I would highly recommend TCC for your next holiday to Turkey. Thank you again, Hannah, Sarah & Mustapha
Read MoreG. Smith
Australia
GeHi Michael We are now home after one of the most memorable trips we have ever had – Turkey surpassed all of our expectations and the organisation form your end was superb – just enhancing our wonderful experience. Thank you for your suggestions and flexibility in varying our proposed itinerary.
Read MoreYvonne B.
Australia
Guides all really good, if different. All very open with regard to Turkey and the current political situation there. Mehmet - very knowledgeable, friendly and an excellent driver. Ferit - very knowledgeable with a real passion for the Romans. Also has a great sense of humour - very dry. Mustafa - very knowledgeable, gave us some very thoughtful insights into Islam. Friendly and open Felt very safe at all times. All connections went smoothly. Fabulous trip. Will definitely promote your company to friends. Thanks Michael. Regards Yvonne and John B.
Read MoreW. O'Brien
Australia
I was hoping to give you some feedback from our recent trip. Thanks for arranging a good trip for the two of us. All of the transfers and pick ups were excellent and punctual except one but they informed us that they were running late. All of the hotels used were excellent as well.
Read MoreLouise F.
Australia
Hi Michael, Firstly, my apologies for not corresponding with you sooner. I do hope you are well? On behalf of everyone on our trip to Turkey we wanted to extend a huge thank you for providing us with a trip of a lifetime. I was delighted to meet you in Istanbul and appreciate you making the effort to introduce yourself. I cannot thank you enough for your assistance and helpful guidance throughout the organisation of our itinerary and tour. You have excelled with the planning and all the staff involved were exceptional.
Read MoreBen S
Sydney, Australia
TTC contacts Michael Altan and Ihsan Dincel were quick to reply to our inquiries and to give us the best possible deal. The tour they organised for us was terrific, a huge success, with flights and site visits and hotel bookings all arranged perfectly. Our guide on Saturday 11 April was informative and fun and had a great sense of the time our small group needed at each stop. All the tour and transfer vehicles were top notch and the hotel TTC arranged for us was a joy. TTC organised everything and still left us enough time to explore a bit on our own. Very happy indeed!
Read MoreBlogs
Ephesus Ancient City Ruins and Why You Should Visit
On Turkey’s Aegean Coast, near the popular coastal resort of Kusadasi, sits the Ephesus ancient city ruins, a marvellous testament to extensive work of historians and archaeologists over many centuries.
It portrays magnificence, leaves people speechless and shows evidence of forwarding thinking, intelligence, and the Roman Empire’s confidence. Indeed, Ephesus should be on everyone’s bucket list when they visit Turkey.
As visitors walk around the excavated and reconstructed structures; it is easy to connect the dots. The ancient ruins of Ephesus portray how Romans lived their lives, from the water aqueducts, terraced houses, and public latrines, used by wealthy and influential citizens of society.
The Biblical Significance of Ephesus
The ancient city of Ephesus is a favourite destination of tourists visiting Turkey because of its breath-taking ruins and significant historical and religious significance. Roman rule contributed towards Ephesus’s fame and significance, but a turning point was when the local council persecuted many citizens turning to the new religion. Hence, they met in secret. Biblical characters like Paul, John, and the Virgin Mary also visited the city.
Many historians believe Saint John wrote his Gospel while in Ephesus, and when the Virgin Mary was dying, he took her to the green hills of Selcuk, above Ephesus and laid her to rest. Although unverified, the Roman Catholic Church watches over her shrine, receiving hundreds of visitors daily.
Ephesus was also one of seven revelation churches, as mentioned in the Bible’s New Testament, which stated that it had forgotten its first love. It is also a Roman era glory containing extensive collections of ruins including the Tomb of St. John, Gate of Augustus, Hadrian Temple, and Pyrtaneion.
Grand Theatre of Ancient Ephesus
The most breath-taking piece of architecture in Ephesus is the Great Theatre. Erected on the slope of Mt. Pion, towering over the city at 100 feet with a capacity of a massive 25,000 people, the Apostle Paul used it to preach the Gospel to Ephesians and condemn pagan worship.
It was also the venue for political, religious, and philosophical discussions, gladiator fights, plays and concerts. Its most famous event though was the Artemis riots that took place there. In Christianity’s early days, many people that had not converted were still worshipping gods of which one was Artemis, goddess of fertility.
Demetrius was a silversmith who sold Artemis figures, but because of Saint Paul’s preaching, his sales were diminishing. He incited a crowd who gathered in the theatre demanding recognition of Artemis.
Saint Paul’s friends begged him to go away from the congregation since they were in no mood to listen, but an intelligent city clerk calmed them down and urged them to follow the law by protesting to the courts.
The main Marble Street is more than just a road leading from the Great Theatre to the Celsius Library. Filled with interesting archaeological artefacts including a brothel advertisement and engraved letters of emperors and busts of famous people in history, Marble Street traces its origins to the 1st century although it was open only to pedestrians until the 5th century when paved with marble blocks so both pedestrians and carriages could use it.